I was obviously still going to be “miss” to him even though I had told him that I was the duke’s sister. Perhaps he’d never learned to use “my lady” or even “your ladyship.” Perhaps he was a socialist of the most egalitarian brand. Perhaps he was just plain thick. I decided not to let it rankle.

“We had been shopping together all morning, then we had a spot of lunch together, and came back here about fifteen minutes ago,” I said, repeating our carefully rehearsed plan. “I went upstairs to change, saw water on the floor, opened the bathroom door, and found the body.”

“Did you touch anything?”

“I started to rescue him, until I realized he was dead,” I said. “I had never seen a dead body before so it was rather a shock.”

“And who is he?”

“I’m not really sure,” I said. I couldn’t make myself tell an outright lie. “I believe I’ve seen him before, but I certainly was never introduced to him. An acquaintance of my brother, perhaps.”

“Your brother, the duke?”

“That’s right.”

“And he is where?”

“In Scotland, I believe, at the family seat.”

“So what was his friend doing here then?”

That one I could answer. “He wasn’t my brother’s friend, I can assure you. And I have absolutely no idea what he was doing here. He certainly wasn’t here when I left the house this morning and when I returned he was lying dead in our bath.”

“So who else was in the house?” The inspector chewed at his pencil—a nasty habit that Nanny had cured me of at four.

I hesitated, just for a second. “Nobody,” I said.

Then I simply couldn’t leave it at that. “My brother had been in London on business, but he had been staying mainly at his club.”

“When did he leave London?”

“I couldn’t tell you. He is a rather vague person and doesn’t communicate his plans to me.”

“And what about servants? Where were they today?”

“We have no servants down here,” I said. “The family residence is in Scotland. I came down alone. My Scottish maid didn’t want to leave her invalid mother and I haven’t had time to hire a local maid yet. I’m really only using this as a pied-à-terre, until I settle my future plans.”

“So you are, essentially, living in the house alone?”

“That’s right.”

“So let me get this straight: you left the house this morning, spent the day with your friend here, came back this afternoon to find a body in your bathtub—someone you don’t even recognize. And you have no idea who let him in or what he was doing here?”

“That is correct.”

“And a little hard to believe, wouldn’t you say?”